Religion

16, April 2025

Cameroonian youth urged to embrace hope despite multiple challenges ⁰

Over the weekend, several dioceses in Cameroon, comprising Kumbo, Douala, Edéa, and Buea, celebrated the Diocesan 40th World Youth Day and entrance into Holy Week in each of their dioceses. The three-day event was a powerful demonstration of the capacity of young people to mobilize and reinvigorate the Church’s mission in Africa and the world.

More than a traditional annual event, the celebration of the 2025 edition of World Youth Day in Cameroon was a lively occasion ushering-in Holy Week.

The Diocese of Kumbo, located in the English-speaking part of Cameroon saw a long procession of young people carrying palms during the liturgical celebration. Saint Sylvester’s College of Sop was the convergence point and gathering place for thousands of young people who in unison acclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of Mary.”

Accompany Christ to Jerusalem

In his introductory speech, the Bishop of the Diocese of Kumbo, Bishop George Nkuo, urged the youth, in his diocese, to work and walk together not as a confused, agitated, and disorderly crowd pushing Jesus on the path of His Passion, but as a people marching with a clear purpose: “to accompany Christ to Jerusalem, to walk with the Savior, and to experience the power of our redemption.”

In the Archdiocese of Douala, thousands of the Diocese’s young people also gathered around Archbishop Samuel Kleda to close the Archdiocesan three-year Synod for Youth, which first convened in September 2022. The Archbishop published an exhortation for this occasion.

Following the three-year Synod, the Archdiocese of Douala has since made recommendations designed to address pertinent issues arising from the three-year process.

Meetings of communion and friendship

4,000 youths from the Archdiocese of Yaoundé also spent two days and two nights on pilgrimage at the Saint Peter and Paul Parish in Nsimalen, guided by their chaplains and mentors.

In the Diocese of Edéa, hundreds of young people spent three days at the Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Dyzangue under the guidance of Bishop Jean Bosco Ntep and diocesan youth chaplains.

Speaking at the end of this gathering, Father Bikéna Tonyè emphasised that theirs was “a meeting of communion, friendship, and knowledge of the Word of God. We invited the youth to be optimistic in a context that we know is difficult. They must persevere and hope for better tomorrows,” the Bishop urged.

Stay steadfast in faith and hope

And finally, in the Diocese of Buea, the youth gathered on a Sunday with Bishop Michael Bibi at the Divine Mercy Co-Cathedral, an event that coincided with the continued celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of this Diocese.

Bishop Bibi called on the youth to embrace greater commitment to the Church and to “proclaim Christ with pride in word and deed: learn to become exemplary leaders, steadfast in faith, despite the multiple challenges that confront you, and imitate the spirit of obedience of Christ,” he said.

Source: Vatican News

15, April 2025

Pope Francis transfers Cameroonian-born Nigerian Apostolic Nuncio in Sri Lanka to Ethiopia ⁰

Pope Francis has transferred Cameroonian-born Archbishop Brian Udaigwe, who has been serving as Apostolic Nuncio in Sri Lanka to Ethiopia.

The Addis Ababa-based Apostolic Nunciature has been vacant since May 2024, when the Holy Father transferred Archbishop Antoine Camilleri to Cuba.

The latest appointment of Archbishop Udaigwe, a Nigerian national who previously served as the representative of the Holy Father in Benin and Togo was made public on Saturday, April 12, by the Holy See Press Office.

Born in Brian in July 1964 in Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea, Archbishop Udaigwe was ordained a Priest in May 1992 for the Catholic Diocese of Orlu in Nigeria.

He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1994. The holder of a Doctorate in Canon Law served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Bulgaria, Thailand, as well as in the United Kingdom before he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio.

While Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Benin in February 2013, assigning him the Titular See of Suelli, his Episcopal Consecration on 27 April 2013 took place at the start of Pope Francis’ Papacy.

Archbishop Udaigwe, who officially presented his credentials in Benin in June 2013 was the following month appointed the representative of the Holy Father in Togo.

Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka in June 2020.

Source: AciAfrica

10, April 2025

Kumbo Diocese issues “urgent alert” on human trafficking surge ⁰

Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Kumbo, which is part of Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, located in the country’s conflict-affected North West region has issued an “urgent alert” on a surge of human trafficking in the Episcopal See.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Tuesday, April 8, the Coordinator of the Commission for Justice and Peace in the Cameroonian Catholic Diocese says that traffickers, who are now capitalizing on the region’s crises, “keep changing their strategies.”

“The Justice and Peace Commission of Kumbo Diocese have been sensitizing us on issues of trafficking over the years,” Sr. Minkoue Falie says.

In the statement dated April 4 and titled, “An urgent alert on the situation of human trafficking in the Diocese of Kumbo”, Sr. Falie observes, “The ongoing crises in the two Anglophone regions have increased vulnerability, unemployment, and hardship in our communities. Traffickers are taking advantage of this, and the rate of human trafficking has drastically increased in the past years.”

“We write once again to call your attention to the growing phenomenon of human trafficking taking roots in our diocese,” the Cameroonian member of the Congregation de Notre-Dame (CND) says, encouraging families whose members have fallen victim to human trafficking to report the matter “as a matter of urgency”.

The Justice and Peace Commission Coordinator continues, “Many of our sons and daughters, friends, and relatives were promised jobs in big companies and are now stranded in Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, etc., always demanding more money for one thing or another as we write.”

“As a matter of urgency, we call on any family whose child or children have fallen victim to get in touch with the Diocesan Justice and Peace Office as soon as possible with useful information to enable the office to respond to this worrying issue,” Sr. Falie says in the one-page statement addressed to the people of God in the Diocese of Kumbo.

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

School boycotts have become common in the Cameroonian region as have enforced moratoriums on public life known as “ghost towns”.

According to a March 2025 report, Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis “has caused over 900,000 people to flee internally and 60,000 people to flee abroad.”

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The report indicates that “as of February 2025, more than 500,000 internally displaced people were in Anglophone-majority regions.”

The UNHCR has reported that the Central African nation plays host to over 400,000 refugees primarily coming from the Central African Republic (CAR), Nigeria, Chad, and Niger; more than 17,000 asylum seekers; and over 1 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) “with an additional 658,544 returnees.”

More than 3.3 million people stand in need of humanitarian aid in Cameroon.

In recent years, however, there have been reported instances of former separatist fighters laying down arms, transitioning into professional careers, and advocating for peace.

Source: ACI Africa

6, April 2025

Pope greets crowds at Vatican in first appearance since leaving hospital ⁰

Pope Francis made a surprise entrance to St. Peter’s Square during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick and health workers on Sunday, marking his first public appearance at the Vatican since his release from the hospital two weeks ago.

The pontiff waved at the crowd that stood and applauded as he was rolled unannounced to the front of the altar in the square.

“Good Sunday to everyone,’’ Francis said, speaking into a microphone, which he tapped to make sure it was working on a second attempt. “Thank you very much.”

The pontiff’s voice sounded stronger than when he addressed well-wishers outside of Gemelli hospital on the day of his release March 23, after battling life-threatening pneumonia during a five-week hospital stay. He has just completed two weeks of at least two months of doctor-ordered rest as he continues physical, respiratory and speech therapy, as well as treatment for a lingering lung infection.

The pope referred to his experience with illness in both the traditional Sunday blessing and the homily read by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, organiser of the Holy Year that is expected to bring some 30 million pilgrims to Rome.

Addressing the sick among the crowd, the pope said in the homily read by Fisichella that “In this moment of my life I share a lot: the experience of infirmity, feeling weak, depending on the others for many things, needing support.

“It is not easy, but it is a school in which we learn every day to love and to let ourselves be loved, without demanding and without rejecting, without regretting, without despairing, grateful to God and to our brothers for the good that we receive, trusting for what is still to come.”

He also urged the faithful not to push the fragile from their lives “as unfortunately a certain mentality does today. Let’s not ostracise pain from our surroundings. Let’s instead make it an opportunity to grow together, to cultivate hope.”

In the traditional Sunday blessing, he offered prayers for doctors, nurses and health care workers “who are not always helped to work in inadequate conditions, at times the victims of aggression. Their mission is not easy and must be supported and respected.”

Source: AP

4, April 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Brit missionary and assistant abducted, church begs for their release ⁰

A BRIT missionary, 83, and his assistant have been abducted by a group of armed men in Cameroon, the church group revealed.

Huub Welters and his assistant Henry Kang were brutally captured in Bambui on Tuesday.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1G2Z0b_1090l7Zn00 — Henry Kang has also been heinously snatched

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=48Xfb9_1090l7Zn00 — Huub Welters has been abducted

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ouASm_1090l7Zn00 — The pair were on their way to the Ilung building site

The town is located in the country’s separatist conflict-hit anglophone northwest.

Welters and Kang were making their way to a project to build classrooms for underprivileged children in the nearby area of Ilung, The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary say.

In Wednesday’s update on the pair, the Catholic missionary said they have “no idea” where Welters is.

The organisation revealed in a statement: “They were abducted by unknown armed men, and as of now, no one knows where they are.

“What weighs heaviest on our hearts is his fragile health .

“He has already endured multiple joint replacements, a back operation, and now, on top of all that, the cruel mental and emotional suffering of being held hostage by those he only ever wanted to help.”

NGO African Conscience shared with AFP that it believes the pair have been abducted by separatist fighters.

The NGO added: “The authorities of the Archdiocese are currently working for their release.

“We pray. We plead. We wait.”

Violence and abductions in Cameroon ‘s Northwest and Southwest regions are a pressing issue.

The areas are mainly populated by Cameroon’s English-speaking minority.

Separatists have frequently targeted and murdered civil servants like teachers .

Elected officials have also been accused of “collaboration” with the central government in Yaounde – a French-speaking establishment.

The army and cops are also accused of carrying out raids against those who they accuse of being pro-separatists.

In 2016, conflict began after President Paul Biya violently squashed peaceful demonstrations by Anglophones in both regions.

He has ruled Cameroon chillingly unchallenged for a whopping 42 years.

At least 6,000 civilians have been heinously killed by government forces as well as separatist fighters since the unrest began, Human Rights Watch reports.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Q9AoI_1090l7Zn00 — Members of the Cameroonian Police line up ahead of the May 20th parade marking the 51st celebration of Unity Day in Yaounde, 2023

Source: The US Sun

1, April 2025

Biya’s Succession: Catholic bishops urge electoral reform ahead of presidential election ⁰

Catholic bishops in Cameroon are calling for electoral reform as the country prepares for the 2025 presidential election.

In a March 28 Pastoral Letter, the bishops insist that the electoral code as it stands now cannot make for a free, fair and transparent election, echoing the demands of several opposition parties.

“The electoral process in Cameroon is governed by the Constitution and the 2012 Electoral Code?’ Despite this legal framework, the opposition parties and civil society in our country continue to criticize the electoral process for its lack of transparency, justice and fairness,” the bishops say.

They emphasized the need for a revised Electoral Code and improvements in the systems governing elections and campaign financing.

They acknowledged that immediate reforms may not impact this year’s elections but stressed the importance of establishing a code of good conduct.

“The code of good conduct for elections can be understood as a series of behavioral standards drawn up and adopted by all the parties involved in an electoral process and aimed at helping to create conditions conducive to the organization of fair, free, credible and transparent elections, and to the acceptance of the election results by all,” the bishops said.

Father Humphrey Tatah Mbuy, a leading priest and researcher in Cameroon, questioned the autonomy of the body in charge of managing elections in Cameroon, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), explaining that there was “too much interference by the Ministry of Territorial Administration or the government in ELECAM, and people are questioning very seriously if ELECAM is as independent and autonomous as it should be.”

“Once it is not, it goes without saying that everything they organize will be seen by others as if they are teleguided. Also, if you look at the whole election the way it is, we don’t have an electoral map. Nobody knows how many people are in what part of Cameroon at any given moment,” Mbuy told Crux.

He said the absence of data on population dynamics makes it hard for political parties and contestants for political office to identify where to seek the most votes.

The priest added that the electoral code is defective in several areas, but offered no specifics, saying simply that the government’s seeming allergy to revising it as advocated by several opposition parties and civil society organizations means “there is something that may be hidden.”

“Opposition parties have also worked on the electoral code and suggested what could be added and what could be subtracted, and what could be better in our code. The better it is, the better for all of us. If elections are fair, they are fair for everyone,” he told Crux.

On February 17, the mail service of the Presidency of the Republic admitted to having received a document detailing the proposals of the opposition parties and civil society on what to improve on Cameroon’s electoral code.

The proposals include the introduction of a single ballot paper; lengthening the duration of electoral campaigns (to 30 days instead of 15); lowering the security deposit required for legislative elections (from $5,000) to $825 per candidate) and municipals (from $8 t9o $40); and prohibiting polling stations from being set up in barracks or chieftaincies.

The proposed reform also seeks to reduce the abstention rate by suggesting that voting should be made compulsory.

In addition, the proposed reform seeks to make ELECAM more independent of government and the ruling party and seeks to make the counting of votes more efficient and transparent.

Besides reforms to the electoral code and electoral process, the Catholic bishops in their March 28 Pastoral Letter also propose that the media should exercise balance in the way they cover elections.

They said the media’s role in democratic participation was indispensable, noting that without a clear understanding of the political landscape, facts, and proposed solutions, meaningful participation becomes impossible.

They emphasized the need to promote pluralism in information and communication, supported by laws that guarantee equal access to these tools.

The bishops, however, expressed concern that the concentration of media ownership among a few individuals or groups poses a significant threat to democracy, especially when intertwined with governmental and financial interests.

“The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good. Society has a right to information based on truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity,” they said.

They said a diverse media landscape is essential for voters to access reliable and varied information, enabling free and objective choices. Unfortunately, some digital media outlets thrive on disinformation, defamation, and hate speech, often exploiting tribalistic sentiments.

This underscores the need for vigilance from bodies like the National Communications Council (NCC) and adherence to laws, such as the 2019 legislation against hate speech and tribalism.

“Men and women of the media must be competent; distinguished by their expertise and the quality of the information they broadcast, as well as by their ability to resist pressures that run counter to their professional ethics,” the bishops said in their statement.

Source: Crux

23, March 2025

Pope Francis is discharged from Rome hospital ⁰

Pope Francis has appeared at his window of the Gemelli hospital in Rome and offered a blessing for the first time since being admitted on 14 February.

The 88-year-old pontiff was discharged minutes later and doctors say he will need at least two months of rest at the Vatican.

During the past five weeks, he presented “two very critical episodes” where his “life was in danger”, Dr Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope, said.

Pope Francis was never intubated and always remained alert and oriented, Dr Alfieri said. Even though the Pope is not completely healed, he no longer has pneumonia and will return to work as soon as possible, if the trend continues, doctors say.

A crowd of people gathered outside the hospital on Sunday, waiting for the Pope to appear.

“When I saw him I felt, to be honest, a little relieved,” said Bishop Larry Kulick, from the Diocese of Greensburg in the US state of Pennsylvania. “I felt just overjoyed to see him.”

“I cried all the time because the love we breathe in this little square of this hospital was like heaven,” said Ilaria Della Bidia, a singer from Rome.

Ana Matos from Brazil said she “just arrived from Brazil today” and arrived outside the hospital “30 seconds before he appeared”. She said that “it was an amazing feeling, like when I had my son. I was so happy to see him healthy and I could see him smile”.

The Pope had only previously been seen by the public once since he was admitted to hospital, in a photograph released by the Vatican last week, which showed him praying in a hospital chapel.

Earlier this month, an audio recording of Pope Francis was played in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

His voice was breathless as he thanked the Catholic faithful for their prayers.

Pope Francis has spent 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

He has suffered a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21, making him more prone to infections.

Source: BBC

20, March 2025

Archbishop Andrew Nkea urges direct talks with Anglophone separatists ⁰

According to the Archbishop of the Bamenda archdiocese, the Yaoundé government needs to engage direct talks with separatists in the country’s two English-speaking regions if a sustainable peace is to come.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya was speaking in Yaoundé on March 18 during a meeting to assess the ground covered in implementing the resolutions of the September 29-October 4 Major National Dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Nkea told participants at the meeting that was chaired by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute that separatist fighters “believe the government is not truly committed to solving this problem.”

“Some feel that while many declarations are made on radio, television, and in newspapers, little is actually implemented,” the archbishop said.

The separatist crisis in Cameroon began in 2016 when lawyers and teachers in the English-speaking regions protested against the marginalization by the predominantly French-speaking government. The situation escalated into a full-blown separatist conflict, with armed groups in the northwest and southwest regions seeking independence for a new state called Ambazonia.

The conflict has led to the deaths of more than 6,000 people, the displacement of over a million, and the destruction of property.

Cameroon has two main language groups—French and English—due to its colonial history. Over time, the Anglophone regions have expressed concerns about being treated unfairly, with their identity and rights often ignored or suppressed.

President Paul Biya admitted the assimilation plan to Moh Ibrahim on November 12, 2019 during the Second Paris Peace Summit in France.

“We tried assimilating their system into the majority francophone system but because of identity differences, it failed,” Biya said.

This deep-rooted tension eventually led to the open conflict.

The Major National Dialogue proposed a broad tapestry of measures to resolve the crisis. These included the adoption of a special status for the two Anglophone regions; the restoration of the House of Traditional Chiefs; the rapid integration of ex-combatants into society; accelerating the decentralization process to empower local authorities and improve governance; implementing measures to boost local development and national growth, including improving infrastructure like roads to support small farmers; as well as providing skills training and deradicalization programs for those affected by the conflict.

While admitting that significant progress has been recorded in several of these commitments, the Bamenda archbishop, one of the religious leaders appointed as member of the committee to follow up the implantation of the dialogue resolutions, urged the government to recognize the need to engage directly with core separatists.

“The boys [separatist fighters] feel you are merely talking among yourselves or to your friends,” the archbishop warned.

He said the Church can only facilitate such a dialogue, but can’t make any pledges on behalf of the state.

“We can only go out with camwood, wash and rub their feet, pray with them, and urge them to stop killing their own,” Nkea said.

He further revealed that both Ambazonian fighters and the leadership they have met believe that some members of the government want the crisis to continue and are actively obstructing genuine dialogue. This perception, he warned, fuels distrust and complicates efforts towards a peaceful resolution.

The archbishop noted that some of the fighters have indicated a willingness to attend follow-up committee meetings, suggesting this demonstrates “a willingness, albeit cautious, from some actors to engage in the dialogue process.”

Nkea condemned the continued use of force as a way of resolving the conflict.

“All wars, including the First and Second World Wars, ended at the negotiating table. The Ambazonians are ready for meaningful dialogue, and we, as religious leaders, can facilitate it,” he stated.

Dion commended the efforts of the religious leaders, even as he extolled the achievements of his government in the implementation of the Major National Dialogue resolutions.

The prime minister said the decentralization process has been sped up, with the institution of Regional Councils in the eight francophone regions of the country and Regional Assemblies in the two English-speaking regions.

In the area of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), Dion announced that at least 3,500 ex-fighters have dropped their weapons and are now being deradicalized and given life skills at various DDR centers in the two regions.

The prime minister noted further that legal action has already been taken against some separatist leaders in the diaspora whom the government blames for manipulating the youths to take up arms in the first place.

Noting that peace was gradually returning to the two regions, he pointed to the population’s increasing discomfort with the war, saying it was evidence that the people have rejected violence.

But religious leaders and conflict resolution experts have warned that if the root causes of the conflict are not addressed, the country could end up with what’s known as “negative peace” – a term the refers to a situation where there is an absence of direct violence or open conflict, but the underlying causes of the conflict – like injustice, inequality, or oppression – remain unresolved.

This, experts say, would be a recipe for future confrontations.

Source: Crux

16, March 2025

Pope Francis seen in photo for first time since admitted to hospital ⁰

The Vatican released the first photograph of Pope Francis on Sunday since his hospitalisation over a month ago, showing the pontiff celebrating mass earlier in the day from the chapel in his hospital suite.

The release of the photo was significant, as the Argentine pope has not been seen in public since being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 for pneumonia in both lungs, which for weeks doctors considered critical.

The photo shows the 88-year-old pope, bare-headed without his customary white skullcap and wearing a white robe and purple stole. He is seated in a wheelchair in front of a simple altar with a crucifix on the wall.

The Vatican said it had been taken Sunday morning.

Taken from behind Francis’ right side, his face is not fully visible but his eyes are open as he looks in a downward direction.

“This morning Pope Francis concelebrated the Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Polyclinic,” the Vatican press office wrote in the photograph’s caption.

Concelebration is the joint celebration of mass by senior clerics.

‘Our bodies are weak’

Since his hospitalisation, Francis has been unable to preside over mass at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Nor has he personally delivered the Angelus prayer that follows the mass to the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square.

But earlier Sunday, in an Angelus message published by the Vatican, he thanked well-wishers while acknowledging his fragile health.

“I am sharing these thoughts with you while I am facing a period of trial, and I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: fragile, at this time, like me,” wrote Francis.

“Our bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope,” he added.

The message marked the second Sunday of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer and reflection leading up to Easter.

Francis has improved steadily over the past week, the Vatican saying Saturday his condition continued to be stable, although he still required therapy to be administered from the hospital.

Although he has yet to appear at the window of his papal suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital, this has not dissuaded a steady stream of well-wishers from gathering, including tango dancers and dozens of children on Sunday.

About a dozen couples in street clothes danced the tango under grey skies in front of a throng of cameras near the hospital entrance.

“With this tango, he must be discharged,” enthused dancer Daiana Guspero, 38, who like the pope hailed from Buenos Aires.

“I want him to feel our energy, our love for tango and for an Argentine pope,” she told AFP.

‘The pope of the children’

Earlier, a group of young scouts from a Catholic group stood by a statue of former Pope John Paul II at the entrance, holding yellow and white balloons and vainly striving to catch a glimpse of the pope.

Group leader, Valerio Santobonio, 23 said the five to seven-year-olds did not quite yet grasp who the pope is, nor his health situation.

Nevertheless, he added, their visit was “a bit like giving them a window onto a wider stage of Christian life”.

Other children had arrived in the early morning from an impoverished town near Naples to deliver a letter to Francis, said Andrea Lacomini from UNICEF, which organised the excursion.

“He loves children, he is the pope of the children, so we are waiting for him. We’re sure he will get better,” Lacomini told AFP.

“We need an important leader like him, because at this time there aren’t many heroes in the world,” he added.

“He’s the only one who talks about peace.”

Francis addressed his youngest well-wishers in his message.

“I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to ‘Gemelli’ as a sign of closeness,” he wrote.

“Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you.”

‘Loving care’

Last week the Vatican signalled that Francis was out of immediate danger after a series of breathing crises earlier in his hospitalisation had sparked fears for the Jesuit’s life.

Although the Vatican has said that Francis continues to work from his hospital suite when able, his absence is particularly felt as Easter approaches.

Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar when the leader of the world’s Catholics presides over a busy programme of events.

In his written message Sunday — which also called for peace in war-torn countries including Ukraine, Myanmar and Sudan — Francis again thanked those caring for and praying for him.

“How much light shines, in this sense, in hospitals and places of care! How much loving care illuminates the rooms, the corridors, the clinics, the places where the humblest services are performed!” he wrote.

And in a message sent by the Vatican’s secretary of state, he offered his condolences to families of the victims and survivors of the deadly fire in a North Macedonian nightclub.

Source: AFP

5, March 2025

Bishop Bibi, journalist, driver “all doing well”: Diocesan Official ⁰

Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi of the Catholic Diocese of Buea is in stable condition, and is recovering “well” alongside a journalist and driver following a grisly accident he was involved in on February 28, the Chancellor of the Cameroonian Diocese has said.

In a statement ACI Africa obtained, Fr. Michael Kengnjoh says that Bishop Bibi who was accompanied by a journalist was involved in the accident while travelling to participate in the Consecration of Bishop-elect Justin Georges Ebengue of the Catholic Diocese of Yokadouma.

According to Fr. Michael, the Cameroonian Bishop, who appeared injured went on to attend the Saturday, March 1 Consecration after a brief medical examination.

“I wish to notify you that on Friday February 28, 2025, Bishop Michael Bibi while approaching Yokadouma, had an accident. The car tumbled twice and regained stability,” Fr. Michael says in the statement dated Sunday, March 2.

He adds, in reference to Bishop Bibi, his driver, and the journalist, “They continued to Yokadouma, where after a brief medical examination, they attended the Consecration Mass and then moved to Yaoundé, for further medical attention.”

The three, according to the Chancellor, “are all doing well as per the medical reports.”

“The Bishop, however, has some pains on the chest and head which are subsiding. Mr. Ottop has some pain on the neck, and the driver has no problem at all,” the Cameroonian Catholic Priest says, and adds, “Let us continue to pray for God’s protection, healing, and guidance on them.”

Source: aciafrica